Governor shares ideas on tourism

September 16, 2005

Valdosta - Georgia's governor says our southern hospitality is the key in attracting more visitors to the state.

Governor Sonny Perdue was guest speaker at the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Valdosta Friday. Tourism leaders from around the state have spent the week there sharing marketing strategies and finding ways to increase tourism revenues.

Perdue say Georgia's welcoming environment and southern charm is one of its most valuable tools. He and Governors from several other southern states are also kicking off a new initiative called "Soul of the South" to attract tourists.

"There are a lot of areas we can work with other states on such as trail tourism, the Civil War and civil rights trials, and other types of marketing efforts that we can bring together to benefit the whole region," said Perdue.

Last year, tourism had a 26.2 billion dollar impact on Georgia's economy.